Mayor Barry Names Ryan Johansen Honorary Mayor of Nashville

He may not be able to currently serve his team on the ice, but Ryan Johansen was bestowed a different way to make an impact in Nashville prior to Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final.

Injured in the Western Conference Final and unable to play until next season, Johansen was named Honorary Mayor for the day by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry in conjunction with a proclamation of June 5, 2017, as Preds Pride Day across Music City.

Although he'd prefer to be preparing to face Pittsburgh in Game Four of the Final, serving as honorary mayor is decent alternative for the 24-year-old centerman.

"It's such a tremendous honor," Johansen said. "It's one of those things you never expect to experience and go through, and for it to come up like this during the Stanley Cup Final, to be able to just be a part of this city and be the mayor for the day, it's pretty special. I'm just going to soak it all in today and enjoy it."

"The Predators might not have made it to the Stanley Cup Final if not for Ryan Johansen's skill and leadership on the ice," Mayor Barry said. "Even though he's been sidelined by his injury, we all want Ryan to know that the entire city has great admiration for him both on and off the ice."

After bestowing the honor upon Johansen, Mayor Barry had more accolades to reveal, announcing the renaming of Fifth Avenue to Predators Way through the end of June.

Predators partner Nissan was also on hand for the ceremony to make a special announcement of their own, donating a special Nissan GT-R, dubbed 'Predzilla' and complete with a custom Preds paint job, to the Nashville Predators Foundation for auction. The GT-R, which has a starting price of $109,990, will undoubtedly help the Foundation break another record for grant distribution and donation totals next season.